Twentieth Century

Another problem with this film being shown so rarely is that it keeps us from seeing two of the greatest performers in American cinema, John Barrymore near the end of his star career and Carole Lombard near the beginning of hers. This was one of the very last films Barrymore made before the years of heavy drinking began to catch up with him. After he made this film, his remarkably handsome features began to fade, and for the last few years of his career he specialized in playing comic drunks. This he did exceedingly well, but more because it was the only kind of role left for him to play. But here, in this film, we get the real John Barrymore for one last, great role. Lombard had made a gigantic number of films in the twenties and the early thirties, but it was only with this film that she became an "A List" actress. From this point on, she would be regarded as one of if not the greatest screen comedienne, and would be in some of the finest comedies ever made until her premature death in 1942.

The plot is simple: Broadway impresario Oscar Jaffe's (Barrymore) career had been on a long slide since his greatest discovery, Lily Garland, has departed the stage for stardom in Hollywood. They accidentally meet on the Twentieth Century Limited, and he decides play every trick in the book to get her back into his life, both professionally and otherwise. The script is exceedingly witty, and was a reworking of a stage play written by Ben Hecht and Charles Macarthur, whose work Hawks would film again in 1940 in HIS GIRL FRIDAY. The tight, terse, fast-moving dialogue that we associate with Hecht and Macarthur are evident at every point in TWENTIETH CENTURY. Between Hawks's deft direction, Barrymore and Lombard's performances (as well as the work of several crack character actors such as Walter Connolly), and such a superb script, this film was can't-miss from the start.

A bit of trivia: Howard Hawks and Carole Lombard were second cousins.

The same can't be said for Columbia's lack luster DVD transfer. The black and white image is very unstable. Blacks are sometimes deep, but often less than. Whites are not very clean. There is a considerable amount of film grain throughout. The contrast levels fluctuate as well. Often looking quite dirty and riddled with age related artifacts, the comedic sheen of "Twentieth Century" leaves something to be desired. The audio is mono but in about as good a condition as the visual elements of the film. Occasionally a pop and hiss can be heard under the arch of great performances which is a genuine shame. The DVD comes with an obtrusive string of trailers for other films and Japanese subtitle option - whatever! Bottom line: the film is golden. The transfer is tin. Let the buyer beware before making their purchase decision.